About

I have always been fascinated by the inherent tension between one part of the mind functioning well or not, and another part of the mind observing what is going on and learning from that. Another interest of mine has always been the effect of music and other art forms plus exercise, as well as nature on our body and spirit. My version of therapy focuses on CBT, but also mindfulness and the importance of other positive factors to feed healthy functioning and thriving. 
When I was attending college, I took a wide variety of courses outside of psychology, reasoning that I’d be focusing on psychology for my career.  The other courses (primarily English lit, acting, German, history, and music) helped me to fill in gaps in my knowledge base and understand important influences on human experience and growth far beyond the individual and groups that were the primary focus in my psychology courses. 
Graduate school brought me to Philadelphia where I attended a program that taught me the strengths and weaknesses of many different models.  I found myself very drawn to the strong research base of cognitive behavioral therapies, but also learning from the creativity of other modalities, which I draw upon when working with clients to devise intervention strategies. 
After graduation, I was deeply fortunate to be accepted into the prestigious post-doctoral program at the world-famous Center for Cognitive Therapy.  I worked very hard and learned so much from Dr. Aaron Beck as well as so many other excellent supervisors and colleagues. Later, I was delighted to be asked to stay on as a therapist there and continued to benefit from the wisdom and expertise of both my colleagues and visiting scholars presenting their cutting-edge research findings.  In my own life I saw the enormous benefits of applying the CBT and mindfulness models as I hit certain struggles and hurdles in my own life.  Honored to be chosen as a protocol therapist in many research studies, I treated research clients grappling with issues such as addiction, generalized anxiety disorder, borderline and avoidant personality disorders, panic disorder, and depression. I also became professionally involved with wonderful professional organizations such as the Association for Cognitive & Behavioral Therapies and the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, where I met wonderful colleagues and friends from all over the world committed to understanding the human condition and improving human potential and functioning. 
Throughout my career I have retained my strong commitment to regular exercise, a healthy work-life balance, family and friendships, and the importance of music and other forms of beauty in one’s life.  In more recent years I have recorded and edited a lot of my own music, which feeds my soul in a special way. 

Areas of Focus
  • LGBTQ+